


thinking out loud

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Het, Morning After, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21587365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: “It’s too early for you to be thinking so loudly.”
Relationships: Kimball Cho/Michelle Vega
Kudos: 24





	thinking out loud

“It’s too early for you to be thinking so loudly.”

Michelle stiffened in his arms, leading Cho to deduce that he had indeed been correct and she hadn’t realised that he was awake. Lifting his arm, he was able to angle his wrist so that he could catch a glimpse of his watch before dropping his arm back around her waist. “It’s half past five. We could have at least another hour of sleep.” 

Which he didn’t expect to happen, one way or another. 

When Michelle looked over her shoulder at him, he figured it wasn’t going to be the fun, let’s have a repeat of what happened last night kind of way. 

He wasn’t expecting her first words though. “You stayed.” 

She sounded surprised and he tampered down the slight flare of annoyance that she thought he’d do anything else. “Not my style to leave,” he said simply, his voice sounding no different to how it normally did. “Besides...” He tightened his arm around her waist, pulling their lower bodies closer together. “This bed’s comfortable.” 

Her cheeks flushed a pleasant shade of pink and he wasn’t sure if it was because of his proximity or the words he’d said. He wasn’t going to waste time worrying about it though, resolved to enjoy it while he could. A small smile hovered around her lips as she shifted, rolling herself so that she was lying on her back, looking up at him. Her right hand reached up to touch his cheek, his left hand sliding around to find her right hip, settling there like it fit. “I see,” she said. “You only like me for my mattress.” 

Teasing. Cho decided to take that as a good sign. “Among other things,” he allowed and that brought a genuine smile to her lips. Her hand moved from his cheek to his shoulder before coming to rest on his chest, right above his heart. Her eyes followed its path before flicking back up to his face. That was when the smile dimmed, just slightly and Cho knew one of them was going to have to bite the bullet sooner or later. 

Sooner was always better. 

“So, what were you thinking about so loudly?” 

A sigh met his question. “What happens next.” 

He didn’t know if that was a statement or a question, so he asked a question of his own. “What do you want to happen?” 

It was the wrong thing to say. He knew that when she pressed her lips together, looked somewhere over his shoulder. “You’re my boss,” she eventually said and he didn’t blink. 

“I’m aware.” His fingers found her cheek, her eyes finding him. “You’re wondering if I think this was a mistake. I don’t.” 

Hope, wide-eyed and unmistakable and so, so Vega, lit up her face in a way he hadn’t seen in months, not since the day she’d given him shit about his new job and rookie agents being seen and not heard, the day their lives had changed forever. “You don’t?” 

“No.” He dipped his head, brushed his lips over hers. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. But you? You’re not one of them.” Her smile was bright enough to hurt and it took everything in him not to kiss her again, to lower his body to hers and make good use of the last of the night. “But we need to talk about work.” 

Michelle looked like she was having a hard time schooling her face into a serious expression. “Right. Work.” 

“We could keep this on the down low.” It wasn’t his preferred suggestion - not only did he remember all too well how his last illicit relationship had gone, he was honestly too old to be sneaking around like some high schooler staying out past curfew. Michelle seemed to share his distaste for the idea if the tiny line that appeared between her eyebrows was anything to go by. “Or there’s an opening in McGregor’s team.” 

McGregor was Cho’s equal, his team working on the other side of the bullpen. They’d still be able to see one another during the day, maybe even carpool there and back together, assuming that was the route they chose to take. 

Cho may have thought about this once or twice before last night. 

Michelle sighed. “McGregor’s a good agent.” 

Cho nodded. “He is.” 

That line between her brows deepened. “He’s not you though.” 

Cho took a deep breath. “Michelle, this is your decision, okay? You call the shots on this one. And whatever you decide, there’ll be no pushback at work, I’ll respect whatever decision you make.” 

Her brows knit together in a frown, her hand moving back to his cheek. “Kimball-”

“I mean it.” It was important to him that she knew that. “I almost lost you once.” Sometimes he still woke up, arms aching from the weight of her in his arms, the scent of blood and cordite in his mouth and nose. “I won’t lose you again. If that means we go back to being team mates, so be it.” 

Her thumb swept a path up and down his cheek once, then twice. “Would that be enough for you?” 

Her voice sounded choked. He hated that. “No,” he admitted, still honest with her, even when it would be easier to lie. “But I’ll take whatever I can get.” 

The sound she made when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her was far too close to the sound she’d made in the diner when she was in his arms, struggling to breathe. Her whisper in his ear - “It wouldn’t be enough for me either” - sounded much better. 

He pulled back then because he had to look at her, had to be sure. “Yeah?” 

Eyes sparkling with tears, lips curled into a smile, she nodded. “Yeah.” The word was punctuated with a happy giggle and Cho instantly decided he could listen to that sound for the rest of his life. “I’m sure, Kimball.” 

“Good.” He kissed her then, long and deep and they made good use of the time left before her alarm went off, and a little bit more besides. 

That morning was one of the very few that Kimball Cho was late for work but he had absolutely no regrets.


End file.
